Part of the reason why the Tigers are moving Phil Coke from the bullpen to the rotation following a fantastic year as a setup man in 2010 is that they feel confident about replacing him with rookie Daniel Schlereth, according to Jason Beck of MLB.com.

Schlereth is slated to take over for Coke as the Tigers’ primary left-handed setup man after the 2008 first-round pick tossed 19 innings with a 2.89 ERA and 19/10 K/BB ratio last season. He also had a 2.37 ERA and 60/34 K/BB ratio in 49 innings at Triple-A, and the 25-year-old southpaw has the potential to be more than simply a left-handed specialist if his control improves.

Here’s what general manager Dave Dombrowski had to say about his role in 2011 and beyond:

I think Daniel Schlereth can do that. We liked what we saw last year. Now, he can do more than that. He can get righties and lefties. He’s got a left-handed breaking ball and an above-average fastball. But he can get out anybody, really.

Schlereth, whose father Mark played in the NFL and is now a football analyst for ESPN, averaged 92 miles per hour with his fastball and also features a low-80s curveball. He’ll join Ryan Perry and free agent signing Joaquin Benoit in setting up closer Jose Valverde, with Joel Zumaya possibly joining the mix depending on his health.

I’m interested to see how Phil Coke does as a starter. My initial thought was that he’d fall on his face (since he was only average-at-best as a reliever – at least as a Yankee), but he could be one of those guys who are more comfortable starting.